Depressive and mobile phone addiction symptoms in Chinese adolescents with major depressive disorder: the mediating effect of alexithymia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Mobile phone addiction (MPA) is associated with depression, yet the underlying mechanisms are not clear. This study aimed to explore the socio-demographic and clinical correlates of MPA symptoms, the associations between depressive and MPA symptoms, and whether the associations are mediated by alexithymia among adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted from January to July 2021 in seven hospitals across the northern, central, and southern regions of Anhui Province, China. MPA symptoms, depressive symptoms, and alexithymia were assessed using the Mobile Phone Addiction Scale (MPAS), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies of Depression Symptom Scale (CES-D) and the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), res

SUBMITTER: Tian Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12487524 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature